There is a wide range of MIS, ERP, or workflow solutions available for the printing industry. Finding the right solution can be daunting as requirements, budgets, localization, connectivity, and preferences vary widely. Accordingly, introducing a new function that can potentially bring benefits to a large range of printers does draw attention. Case in point: Zaikio’s automated procurement function.

Zaikio was developed out of cloud software provider Crispy Mountain and is a provider of a cloud-based collaboration platform and the Keyline MIS for the printing industry, with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen as major shareholder. Yet the company provides its services vendor independently and also operates autonomously in the market.

Realizing a need to automate supplies procurement, Zaikio developed a procurement app that can aid or fully automate supplies ordering processes. In March 2021, Heidelberg officially opened up the procurement platform to all companies after a previous test phase.